cause he mixes it with love (and makes the world taste good)
by ohmyloki
Summary: They stood there quietly, Darcy slightly bent over with her elbows on the counter as she ate happily, making little pleased noises because it was just that good, until finally she spoke up again. "Seriously, man. This is like the best cake I've ever had. You could win contests with this thing. Fuck, you win at life for this thing. You should do this all the time."


**A/N: Prompt fic from the prompt: "Tony/Darcy, chocolate cake." At 2K+ words, it got a little out of hand. Unbeta'd.**

Darcy shuffled her way down the hallway, heels in hand. It was late and having just gotten back to the tower after a few celebratory drinks with friends, her current goal was a glass of water before going to her room and falling face down into her bed.

It was the smell that reached her first. Someone must have been baking that day and immediately Darcy's mouth started to water as she amended her plans to include hunting down whatever delicious concoction Bruce must have made earlier. Chocolate always came first, even if her bed was beckoning.

The noise came second. Just outside the kitchen door she heard the familiar strains of guitar and bass, something she didn't recognize at first having become so accustom to hearing it at a level that left her eardrums feeling slightly abused for the rest of the day. She peered around the doorframe and spotted a familiar figure in the middle of the room. His hips were moving slightly, in time with the music, and Darcy took a moment to appreciate the way his dress slacks pulled and how the muscles in his arms, bared by the black tank top he wore, shifted under his skin as he hunched over the island, clearly absorbed by whatever he was working on.

She stood there for a minute just enjoying the view. She loved to watch the man work, how his eyes lit up when he figured out a solution for a problem that had been particularly vexing, the way his tongue sometimes peeked out the corner of his mouth like a small child as he concentrated, and his complete and total dedication to whatever task he had currently at hand. The fact that he had an incredible backside wasn't far from her mind either.

After she felt like she had satisfied her inner peeping tom, she cleared her throat. He tensed for a moment before he straightened up and turned around. The state of his hair was clear evidence that he had been working for awhile and Darcy thought it unfair that no matter how in disarray it appeared, it was still attractive as hell. She was always sorely tempted to sink her fingers into it.

"Lewis." He narrowed his eyes at her, taking in her short dress and the shoes dangling from her hand.

"Stark," she replied, raising her eyebrows and taking a couple steps into the room. She noticed immediately how he moved in tandem with her, blocking her view of the counter.

Consider her curiosity piqued.

"You're up awful late." His eyes swept over her body again. "Good night?" He asked nonchalantly, his gaze lingering on her legs.

"A rousing success," she replied before craning her neck to try to see around him. He shifted again and leaned back against the counter. She smirked. He smiled back, innocently. "What's got you up so late?" She asked.

"When am I not up this late?"

He had a point. "True, but you're usually not in the kitchen."

"Ah. Well, you got me there, Lewis."

She huffed. "So what are you doing up this late in the kitchen?"

He stared at her for a moment and just before she opened her mouth to say something else, he pointed at her. "You've been keeping secrets."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "What secrets?" And she felt a flash of embarrassment, wondering for a split second if maybe he had figured out her schoolgirl crush on him. Although… could it even be considered a schoolgirl crush considering that things she's fantasized about? She pushed the thought aside quickly, there's no way he could know and even if he did he wouldn't bring it up. He must be used to the fact that most people with a pulse ended up having a thing for him at one point or another and it wouldn't be worth the awkward atmosphere that talking about unrequited love would bring to the tower.

"A little birdie told me that today was someone's birthday." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"And?" It's not like she kept it a secret on purpose. She just wasn't the type to demand attention just for existing.

"And?" He huffed. "And I'm used to parties and music and explosions on birthdays. People are supposed to celebrate birthdays."

"I did celebrate, I went out and had a couple of drinks with some girls I met in the labs."

He waved a hand, as if swatting her statement away. "You should've told us. We could've thrown a party for you. It would've been fun."

She rolled her eyes. "Dude, after you turn legal age, birthdays kind of lose their appeal. Why celebrate the fact that I'm getting older?"

His eyes darkened a little, and he looked at her more serious than before. "You should always celebrate that fact that you've managed to live another year." She could see something hidden there, things she had only heard bits and pieces of secondhand. He had a point. Even in her comparably limited experience, there had been a few close calls.

"Alright, you've got a point. I'll make sure to bring it up next year. Just… I've heard about some pretty legendary Tony Stark parties. Let's keep mine a bit more low key, alright?"

"Deal." He smiled at her. They stood in silence for a moment and she noticed him shifting his feet, his fingers starting to tap against his arm.

"Did you wait up just to chastise me about not having a birthday party, then?" She asked him, unsure of why he suddenly cared so much about something so inconsequential.

"No. I— ah, well…" And wasn't that just the best birthday present? It was so rare that anyone could make Tony uncomfortable or speechless, she had to smile at the sight. A warm feeling made itself known in her chest and she wondered for a moment if his arc reactor put out any noticeable heat. Was it cold? Or did it simply match his body temperature? He ran a hand through his hair before throwing it up in a bout of frustration. "Just… here." He said before he stepped aside.

She was still smiling at him when she turned her eyes to the counter. On it sat a small, round cake, the circumference no larger than the span of her hand. It was covered in thick chocolate frosting and on the top was written in purple finely spaced print, "Happy Birthday!" Around the words there was an abstract, intricate design of straight lines and perfect curves. It looked like a technical blueprint. It was clearly done by someone with an eye for detail and an obviously controlled hand used to working on delicate projects. She walked up to the counter to get a closer look, feeling his warm presence beside her.

"Wow." And really, that was all she could say. He'd obviously put a lot of work into it and the fact that he had gone through the trouble of doing something, anything at all really, for her made her throat close up a little bit. "It's beautiful," she said quietly.

She turned her head to look at him and saw a flicker of relief pass over his face but he seemed to be looking everywhere but her.

"It's chocolate. I wasn't sure what you like best but I figured that everyone likes chocolate. I had JARVIS check your medical records and he told me that you have a slight peanut allergy so I made sure that none of the ingredients contained any traces and I even bought new bowls and a new mixer just in case—"

He was obviously starting to babble but Darcy's eyebrows still shot up at the information. He had actually made the entire thing from scratch?

"I didn't know you baked," she interrupted him.

He glanced over to her, finally making eye contact, and shrugged. "Baking is just science."

She nodded and looked down at the cake again. The frosting gleamed in the light and she reached out a finger and swiped it through the side, bringing it up to her mouth to lick it off. She closed her eyes and sighed at the smooth, rich taste. When she opened them again she saw Tony staring intently at her lips. A spark lit low in her belly.

She took a step back before her brain ran with the idea and made her way to the drawer with the utensils. With two forks in hand, she turned around and saw him edging his way to the door. She walked back to the cake and held up the silver. "Gonna join me?"

He looked hesitant for a moment but he straightened his back and grabbed a fork, standing beside her at the counter. He gestured to the cake with one hand. "Birthday girl first."

She grinned at him and, a little sad to ruin the design he'd obviously put effort into—maybe she'd have JARVIS print her a picture later on, sunk her fork into the cake, bringing a small bite up to her mouth. The smell was divine on it's own but it didn't prepare her for the taste. She couldn't remember the last time she had tasted something so delicious. It was heavenly. "Oh my god," she said around the mouthful.

She looked over at Tony and her heart swelled when she saw the tinge of pink on his cheeks. "Dude, if you're planning on having any you better get in here because I'm about to demolish this bitch." Tony just chuckled and turned his attention to the cake. They stood there quietly, Darcy slightly bent over with her elbows on the counter as she ate happily, making little pleased noises because it was just that good, until finally she spoke up again. "Seriously, man. This is like the best cake I've ever had. You could win contests with this thing. Fuck, you win at _life _for this thing. You should do this all the time."

He looked at her gravely, "Well, the truth is," he paused dramatically, "I am Iron Chef."

"Oh my god." She snorted and rolled her eyes. "That was terrible. Brilliant but terrible."

He took another bite and leaned his hip against the counter, facing her. "I am a genius after all," he said, pointing the fork at her.

"Not going to argue with you there." She noticed a smudge of frosting on his chin. "You are also a messy eater." She put down her fork and stood up to face him. Living in a tower full of superheroes and aliens gave Darcy a bit of a complex about her height, everyone virtually towering over her, but as much as Tony may deny it, he fell on the shorter side of the spectrum. She liked that. He was still a few inches taller than her, still absolutely and totally masculine in every way but she didn't get a crick in her neck when standing near him.

His eyes widened when she lifted a hand, her fingers cupping his cheek as she rubbed her thumb on his chin to clean off the chocolate. Their eyes locked and the air left the room. She couldn't hear the low music playing overhead, she couldn't even smell the chocolate cake, all she could focus on was him. He stared at her as her thumb stilled and before she could pull away, he set his fork down and grabbed her wrist. With his eyes still on hers, he turned his head and pressed a soft, slow kiss to her palm.

The combination of the scratch of his beard and his dry warm lips pressed against her sent a wave of goosebumps up her arm. Her own lips parted in shock as she stared up at him. His hand let go of her wrist and he trailed his fingers down her arm and up to her bare shoulder as she let her limb drop. He cupped her neck and took a step forward; invading what little personal space she had left.

She could feel the warmth radiating from him, permeating the space between them, enveloping her completely. Her eyes were wide as he rubbed his thumb along her jaw, his other hand settling on her hip. He watched her, hesitating slightly before he finally bent down and pressed his lips to hers.

It was a chaste kiss. Or at least as chaste as a kiss Tony Stark could give. His beard tickled her chin as his hand delved into her hair. He pressed his body into hers and backed her into the counter. She felt the swipe of his tongue against the seam of her lips and just as she was about to part them to deepen the kiss, he stepped back and let her go.

His eyes were still dark with want and the corners of his mouth twitched up as he looked at her. "Happy birthday, Darcy," he said before he turned around and strolled out of the room.

Darcy watched as he retreated down the hall towards the elevator, her brain flicking through emotions quickly. She went from shock to desire to confusion before settling on calculating. She would need time, already the plans and ideas were coming to her in rapid succession, but she wasn't about to let him get away that easily. Oh, no. He had no idea what he was in for. When Darcy Lewis wanted something, when she actually made the decision to go after something? She didn't let go.

Darcy was like a dog with a bone when she put her mind to it and tonight that bone turned out to be Tony Stark.


End file.
